The cats will be returning to downtown soon.
Tom Raymond and his wife, Samantha Enz, opened The Cats’ Pyjamas Cat Café in March but the building at 413 E. Adams St. was heavily damaged by fire June 19.
When Raymond spoke to SBJ the following day, he was uncertain about the future of the cat café and focused on finding permanent homes for the nine cats the café had hosted through an arrangement with Animal Protective League.
Now, the couple has secured another location downtown at 524 E. Capitol Ave. and is asking volunteers to help paint and furnish the new space.
"We've had a fantastic team of staff, volunteers, guests and even neighbors stop by to help prepare our new space and drop off donations,” read a July 28 Facebook post on the business’ page. “We’re still calling out for furniture donations to help rebuild our cat café. All of our original pieces, most of which were either from the owners or family-donated, were lost in the fire. We're in need of chairs, couches, end tables, coffee tables and anything that can make our café feel like a cozy home for our future feline residents.”
The Cats’ Pyjamas also received funding from the first round of disbursements from the INB fund established to help those affected by the fire. Twelve residents, seven businesses and one nonprofit were awarded a total of $15,750 in the initial funding awarded almost one month following the fire. A second and final round of funding is planned for early August.
An open house is planned for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, to coincide with the final Levitt AMP concert on the nearby North Mansion block.
The event announcement read: “It will be a great time to bring donations and see our progress. Your continued support is invaluable as we work to reopen our café as quickly as possible. Thank you again, and we look forward to seeing you soon!”
